The other day I was at Costco. En route to the checkout line I passed an enormous display of plants for sale. The display consisted entirely of sago palms. (This article discusses cycad sago palms, not true sago palms.)

As I walked to the checkout line I thought to myself that there were enough plants in the display to kill half of the dogs and cats in San Francisco.

Sago palms are beautiful and common house plants. Sadly, few people realize that they are deadly.

Every part of the common sago palm is toxic. The plants are palatable to cats and dogs. Both may suffer liver failure after ingesting the plant. Remarkably few people realize this, and countless loving pet owners unknowingly place their animals at risk by keeping these attractive plants in their homes or gardens.

Today I saw a cat who was in serious trouble. He was in the prime of life. He was an indoor-only cat. He appeared to be in perfect health. Unfortunately, his face was covered in lily pollen. A conversation with the owner confirmed my worst fears. The cat had chewed on stargazer lilies.

Stargazer lilies are staples of many bouquets. They are beautiful. They also are deadly. Cats especially are at risk. Lilies, especially stargazer lilies, may cause irreversible kidney failure in pets.

If you have pets, please don’t allow these two deadly beauties into your house. Nothing good can come of it.